Twelve Chambers of Commerce in Tarrant County teamed up for a virtual Tarrant County Days at the Capitol February 23rd and 24th. Eleven members of the legislature made presentations to the Tarrant County delegation which numbered about 150 people each day of the two-day event. Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick, and Comptroller Hegar also addressed the group.
Coming closely on the heels of Texas “snowmageddon”, many of the presentations focused on getting to the root causes of the near failure of the Texas power grid. Hearings on the issue were set to begin in the days following. A second major topic was the positive traction that had been gained on the COVID-19 vaccination program.
Tarrant County Days has been a regular event in Legislative years, but it had never been tried virtually before. The upsides were plentiful, no long drive or bus ride, no need to spend money on expensive Austin hotels, no need to be away from jobs for at least two workdays. Past Tarrant County Days have involved about 70 participants. This year the average viewership was double that and a total of 410 people signed up to get the link to the program. In the past at most three or four chambers participated. Having twelve has to be a record.
On the downside the virtual event meant participants did not have the networking opportunities with their fellow Tarrant County attendees. There were no opportunities for office visits with specific legislators and there will not be a photo on the Capitol steps to prove we were there.
In two years when Tarrant County Days rolls around again, let’s hope the technology has evolved so hybrid events can be a part of our future.